Refinery towns draw lessons from Chevron project

Many Bay Area refineries, including Chevron, are in the midst of major upgrades. Click on the cities to hear different perspectives on the various oil projects happening in the Bay Area. (Map and videos by Sally Schiling)

Environmentalists and workers unions are keeping a careful eye on Chevron’s Revised Modernization Project. Unions are anxiously waiting for the skilled labor jobs to finally become available when the project is approved. A coalition of environmental groups, on the other hand, is on guard for a repeat of 2010, when, they say, Chevron had deceived regulators in its Environmental Impact Report.

More than a hundred people, many who live and work in refinery towns, showed up at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s meeting last week. They filled the meeting room and an overflow room. Others waited outside in the chilly morning air. They wanted to weigh in on the big decisions ahead for the district regarding refineries in the Bay Area.

Next year the air district, which oversees industrial emissions and air quality standards, will finally vote on whether to grant Chevron a permit for its Revised Modernization Project.

To read the full story, and experience the interactive map and accompanying videos by reporter Sally Schilling, visit Richmond Confidential.